Riding-saddle



(No Model.)

W.-J. & M. J. MOHAN.

RIDING SADDLE.

No. 477,016. Patented June 14, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. MOI-IAN AND MICHAEL J. MOHAN, OF OOVINGTON, KENTUCKY.

RIDING-SADDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,016, dated June 14, 189

Application filed August 28, 1891. Serial No. 403,956. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM J. MOHAN and MICHAEL J. MOHAN, citizens of the United States, residing in Covington, county of Ken- 'ton, in the State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Side- Saddles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming'part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in side-saddles in which the saddle-tree is made up of wood or other suitable material of the proper shape and form for a complete saddle, so as to require no stuffing or padding preparatory to covering the same with leather; and the invention consists in certain details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more particularly pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the sidesaddle with a portion of the seat torn away at one side. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the lines 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In the ordinary manufacture of side-saddles much more care is required and a greater degree of skill demanded than in the construction of saddles for men. The weight of the rider, when the saddle is in use, is thrown more on one side than the other and the rider is constantly shifting herseat slightly, so that to obtain an easy-riding saddle has hitherto required quite a high degree of skill in the operative. Lightness combined with strength is also an addition requisite of such saddles. In order to make the saddle easy for the rider and' of sufficient spring to be comfortable, much padding and stuffing has hitherto been necessary, which has consequently added much to the weight thereof and consequently increased the wear on the horse.

The object of our invention is to overcome these difficulties and to construct a side-saddle which shall combine great lightness with the requisite strength, and so made that no extra padding is required, and the saddle can be completed without the employment of skilled labor. In ordinary-formed saddles so much skill is required in the forming and pounding into the proper shape the various pads employed that it takes an apprentice years to properly learn the art, and consequently these saddles must be expensive to manufacture. With our saddle, however, this skilled labor is dispensed with, and the ordinary operative can readily do all that is re quired.

In the drawings, A A represent the side bars of the saddle-tree, B the oross-head,and C the cantle. Extending downward from the cross head are the front bars D D, preferably integral with the cross-head, to which cross-head the side bars are rigidly secured, which side bars meet in the back to form the cantle. The upper part of the cross-head is extended upward and outward to form the near and off horns E and F, the horns, front bars, and

rear of the side bars being braced and strengthened by the metal strips a b c in the usual way.

Onthe off side of the saddle-tree, securely glued or otherwise secured thereto,is the side strip G. This strip is made of one or more pieces to conform on its upper edge to the desired shape of the saddle in longitudinal section and so as to fittheside barA. This strip G extends from the cross-head B to the rear of the saddle-tree. On the opposite or near side of the tree, secured to the upper face of the near side bar, is another strip II, made of one or more pieces, whose upper edge is of such shape as to make both sides of the saddle-tree symmetrical. This second strip II does, not, however, extend to the cross-head, as it would require considerable time and extra labor to make the strip of the proper shape, but stops at the point (Z, and a strip K, of leather or other suitable material is secured from the point at to the top of the crosshead B. All of these parts, except the strip K, are made of wood and by the saddle-tree maker, and the saddle-tree being thus c011- structed with the proper outlines, no extra labor of building up and padding with straw and hair or like filling material has to be employed, and nothing remains for the operative to do except to secure the cover to the frame provided.

The cross-head B may be formed with a flatvertical front face on a line with the outer edge of the front bars D D and horn E, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and to the top of this cross-head the flap of the saddle is secured. By this formation of the cross-head without any front spring and attaching the flap to the top of the cross-head, instead of underneath the spring, as is usually done, the flap is raised higher from the back of the horse, and consequently his Withers are not affected by the rubbing of the saddle.

The seat or top of the saddle is formed of leather or other like material, which cover L is securely stretched over and nailed to the saddle-tree, as shown in the various figures, being turned down over the edge of the skeleton frame. Beginning at the front or pommel, this cover is nailed to the cross-head, then turned down over the side piece G, nailed thereto, thence around the cantle and opposite side piece H, and thence is drawn down tightly over the leather strip K and nailed to the side bar. The side pieces G and II are cut away inwardly to form spaces ff, so that when the cover L is stretched over and secured to the tree large air-spaces will be left. This renders the saddle light,while the tightlys-trctched cover gives an easy springing seat to the saddle,which could not be obtained by padding; and, further, the under part of the saddle is left entirely hollow, so that there is nothing to come in contact with the back of the horse, and thus the saddle is very light and comfortable both for horse and rider.

Having thus described ourinvention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A side-saddle comprising the cross-head B and side bars A A,forming the tree, the strip G upon the off one of said bars, the short strip II upon the near one and having its rear end located at or near the cantle end of said bar, the strip K, of suitable material, extending from the front end of strip II to the crosshead, the said strips constructed to support a cover or seat L, and the said cover, substantially as shown and described.

WILLIAM J. MOHAN. MICHAEL J. MOHAN. \Vitnesses:

BERNARD IIERBERS, GEORGE HEIDMAN. 

